The invention relates to a device for transferring printed products, conveyed in a single stream from a feed unit to a removal unit, which device can be used to divert the printed products from a feed direction to a removal direction, wherein the feed unit is provided with a first conveyor as well as a transfer region and the removal unit comprises a takeover region with a support surface for the printed products, and wherein the transfer region is arranged above the takeover region.
The invention furthermore relates to a method for transferring printed products in a stream of individual printed products from a feed unit to a removal unit whereby the printed products are transferred from a transfer region of the feed unit to a support surface, arranged below the transfer region, of a takeover region of the removal unit and are diverted from a feed direction to a removal direction.
During a print finishing step, devices are frequently used which can divert the printed products during transport. These types of devices, which are also referred to as angle diverters, must meet high precision requirements for orienting the printed products following the diverting and should not mark or damage the printed products and possibly existing inserts. Within the meaning of this application, the printed products are understood to be finished products, such as perfect-bound magazines, booklets, catalogs, newspapers and magazines, and also partial products such as individual sheets, signatures and book blocks as well as similar products.
European patent document EP 2055660 A1 describes a device for the conveying and clocked diverting of flat objects, in particular printed products conveyed in an overlapping or scaled formation. The device can furthermore be used to process products conveyed in a single stream, meaning a sequence of non-overlapping and spaced apart printed products, wherein a spacing of this type between two successively conveyed printed products is also called a product division.
The device comprises a feed unit, a removal unit, a diverter unit with a stationary support surface, at least one pair of diverter elements and an end stop. The diverter elements rotate in the direction of the removal unit and are arranged so that a printed product is transported to the removal unit while held between the bearing surfaces of the diverter elements. The circumference of the diverter elements is designed such that the size of the gap between the running surfaces can alternate between two values. While the running surfaces of the diverter elements have a larger gap, a printed product which is supplied by the feed unit arrives at the removal unit and, in the process, impacts with an end stop. The gap between the running surfaces of the diverter elements is subsequently reduced, so that during the further conveying the printed product is clamped in between the diverter elements. The alternating between gap sizes must match the belt speed and must be synchronized with the clocking of the arriving printed products. The diverter elements rotate with the constant speed of the removal unit.
The aforementioned device has the disadvantage that the printed products can be marked and/or damaged as a result of being stopped at the end stop. Since the printed products are initially stopped by the end stop and are then accelerated once more, following the transfer of the printed products from the feed unit to the removal unit, the device can be used only with relatively slow conveying speeds. As soon as irregularly spaced-apart printed products are supplied to the device, the danger of a latent jamming exists in the region of the uniformly rotating diverter elements. Since the printed products are clamped in by the diverter elements only in the area immediately adjacent to the leading edge of the printed products, as seen in feed direction, inserts for the printed products can only be conveyed securely in this area and starting with the instant when the products are clamped in. The above-described solution therefore results in the danger of displacement or of ejecting loose inserts, even at median processing speeds.